ambush as families and fellow officers pay tribute to the fallen. it is 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 out west. this is "way too early." ♪ good morning. it is thursday, july 14th. i'm alex witt. donald trump will reveal his running mate tomorrow morning. he tweeted last night that the announcement will come in manhattan at 11:00 a.m. the candidate's eldest children and his son-in-law, jared crishner, have been meeting with the finalists. governor chris christie met with the family members on tuesday. with trump's plane out of commission for mechanical problems the meetings continued in indiana. yesterday newt gingrich met with trump for about 2 1/2 hours. senator jeff sessions went as

well. senior campaign sources telling nbc news he's not a finalist for vp. trump met once more with governor mike pence, this time at his family's home. >> mrs. pence and i put out a breakfast spread late last night, clipped some flowers, served coffee and a warm breakfast this morning. just had a good conversation as a family together. these are good people. this man is going to be a great president. you can really tell a lot about a person when you get around their family. >> i think that pence has a terrific ability to bring together the regular party and to reach out to many, many people he served with in the house and that he's known through the republican governors association. and i think he would be a very stabilizing force. i think a lot of people who are a little jittery about donald trump would feel reassured talking with pence and that he

could spend a good bit of july and august bringing back the party regulars and getting them inside. in a sense, doing for trump what george h.w. bush did for ronald reagan in 1980. i think my strength is totally different. i'm an outsider. i'm oriented towards moving the great base of the party, communicating big ideas, doing what you and i do, being on television. so i think trump's got to decide, does he want a second person who's really as effective on television? or does he want somebody who's really good at reaching out on a personal basis to a lot of people who frankly trump may not be able to reach on his own? >> here's donald trump yesterday reflecting on his own calculus. >> i tell you, chris christie is somebody i've liked a long time. he's a total professional, he's a good guy by the way. a lot of people don't understand that. but i'm narrowing it down. i'm at three, potentially four. but in my own mind, i probably am thinking about two.

i just want to pick somebody that's very good. i want to pick somebody who's solid, who's smart. i'm not looking for an attack dog. frankly, i'm looking for somebody that really understands what we're talking about. >> many new poll in the last 24 hours paint quite a competitive race for the white house. a new national mcclatchy merris poll shows hillary clinton's lead over donald trump has been practically erased. 42% to 39%. meanwhile, new swing state polls from nbc news and "the wall street journal" show a tied-up race in ohio, 39 to 39. clinton is ahead by 9 points in pennsylvania, 45 to 36. and statistically tied with trump in iowa, 42% to 39%. a new poll from fox news finds clinton with a 7-point lead in virginia, 44 to 37. two polls out of colorado show clinton with double-digit lead in the western swing state. up 10 points in the fox news poll, 11 points in the monmouth university poll. however, a tightening race with likely voters in wisconsin.

clinton's lead of 10 points from last month's marquette law poll has shrunk, now 45 to 41, meaning trump is within that margin of error. the national republican convention begins in just four days but the official speakers list has not been released. this morning the "new york times" is reporting this itinerary for next week. a roster which includes family and figures from the world are of sports. monday's speaking jameel shaw, whose son was killed by an undocumented immigrant. rudy giuliani. melania trump. night two will reportedly include mitch mcconnell, scott walker, ufc president dana white, lawsuit than general michael flynn, and two of trump's children. night three host speaker paul ryan, florida attorney general bondi, newt gingrich, senator ted cruz, and the vice presidential nominee. and thursday night will be governors rick scott and mary fallon, ivanka and donald trump. notably not on that list of

confirmed speakers, vice presidential contender mike pence. as donald trump becomes the party of lincoln's standard-bearer next week, hillary clinton made a high-profile attempt to contrast him with the first republican president by speaking from the same place where lincoln declared a house divided against itself cannot stand and to offer her own regrets about excessive partisanship. >> now, i realize that our politics have contributed to the sense of division that many americans feel right now. and as someone in the middle of a hotly fought political campaign, i cannot stand here and claim that my words and actions haven't sometimes fueled the partisanship that often stands in the way of progress. so i recognize i have to do better too. i get a letter from a mother the other day who said her adopted

son asked her with a shaky voice if president trump would send him back to ethiopia. when kids are scared by political candidates and policy debates, it's a sign that something has gone badly wrong. >> turning now to dallas, services will continue today for the police officers killed during last week's deadly ambush during a peaceful protest. thousands gathered yesterday to pay their final respects to three of those five officers killed. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more on the emotional day in dallas. ♪ >> reporter: deep in the heart of texas, dallas was devastated. >> one thing i would always say to my dad when he walked out the door was, good-bye, daddy, i love you, be saep. and tonight we say our final good-bye, daddy, we move you, be safe.

♪ amazing grace >> reporter: her father, brent thompson, had remarried three weeks ago. his wife emily, a fellow rapid transit officer, a newlywed, now a widow. >> to the coward that tried to break me and my brothers and sisters, you know your hate made us stronger. ♪ >> reporter: senior corporal lorne ahrens was a gentle giant. once a semi pro football player. >> lorne appeared ins vincible. when you were with lorne, you also felt invincible. >> reporter: sergeant michael smith a cop's cop known for his upbeat attitude. >> my heart is broken and full of rage. he was taken so senselessly. my brother's murder will not be that vain. >> gabe gutierrez reporting. a public funeral is set tomorrow for alton sterling, the man fatally shot by baton rouge,

louisiana, last week. his son has spoken out. 15-year-old cameron sterling yesterday called for peace during this time of pain. >> i feel that people in general, no matter what the race is, should come together as one united family. there should be no more arguments, disagreements, violence, crimes. i feel that everyone, yes, you can protest. but i want everyone to protest the right way. protest in peace. not guns. not drugs. not alcohol. not violence. everyone needs to protest in the right way. >> cameron sterling's comments came ahead of a meeting hosted by president obama at the white house featuring community activists, politicians and law enforcement officials. the conversation which lasted for four hours focused on repairing relations between police and minority communities while the president seemed optimistic he said, there is still a long way to go.

>> i do not want to gloss over the fact that not only are there very real problems, but there are still deep divisions about how to solve these problems. there's no doubt that police departments still feel unjustly accused. and there is no doubt that minority communities and communities of color still feel like it just takes too long to do what's right. and the pace of change is going to feel too fast for some and too slow for others. >> senator tim scott is the lone african-american republican in the senate. and in the senate chamber yesterday he shared his personal stories of being profiled in a bid to foster understanding. >> it's easy to identify a u.s. senator by our pin.

i recall walking into an office building just last year after being here for five years on the capitol. and the officer looked at me, a little attitude, and said, "the pin i know. you i don't. show me your i.d." recognize that just because you do not feel the pain, the anguish of another, does not mean it does not exist. isis leaders are reportedly preparing for the collapse of the caliphate. the terror group declared in iraq two years ago. according to "washington post" islamic state leaders are bracing for the possibility that its remaining strongholds could fall. meanwhile, nbc's bill neely sat down with syrian president bashar al assad at his office yesterday. it was filmed by the presidential press office but there have been no editorial changes to the content. in this part of the interview,

assad claims the u.s. and syria have different goals when it comes to isis. >> do you feel the united states is fundamentally misunderstood your war with isis, with what you might call a common enemy? >> again, it's not common enemy. for us unity in fighting not only isis and al nusra and every affiliate to al qaeda organization within syria, they are the same, all of them are terrorists. we want to talk not about isis, about the terrorist groups. we want to get rid of the terrorists, we want to defeat those terrorists. while united states want to manage those groups in order to topple the government in syria. you cannot talk about common interests unless they really want to fight those terrorists and they didn't do that. in iraq in 2006, they didn't defeat them. >> america is very genuine about fighting isis. isis is a threat to the american homeland. how can you say america is not serious? >> because isis has been set up in iraq in 2006 while united states was in iraq. not syria was in iraq.

so it was growing under the supervision of the american authority in iraq. and they didn't do anything to fight isis at that time. >> nbc's bill neely got that exclusive interview with bashar al assad. he will be on "morning joe" at the top of the hour in the 6:00 hour eastern. still ahead on "way too early," britain's got a new prime minister and she is not wasting any time when it comes to filling her cabinet. the sports world takes a break from the competition to recognize the year's best athletes. all the highlights from last night's espy awards.

be the you who doesn't cover your moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. be the you who shows up in that dress. who hugs a friend. who is done with treatments that don't give you clearer skin. be the you who controls your psoriasis with stelara® just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis.

before starting stelara® tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. always tell your doctor if you have any signs of infection, have had cancer, if you develop any new skin growths or if anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to stelara® or any of its ingredients. most people using stelara® saw 75% clearer skin and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. be the you who talks to your dermatologist about stelara®. try duo fusion!ing antacids? new, two in one heartburn relief. the antacid goes to work in seconds... and the acid reducer lasts up to 12 hours

in one chewable tablet. try new duo fusion. from the makers of zantac. as soon as i found her wandering miles from home. when the phone rang at 5am, i knew it was about mom. i see how hard it's been on her at work and i want to help. for the 5 million americans living with alzheimer's, and millions more who feel its effects. let's walk together to make an even bigger impact and end alzheimer's for good. find your walk near you at alz.org/walk. welcome back to "way too early." newly minted british prime minister theresa may's first full day on the job is under way as she continues to form her new government. one of her first appointments is former london mayor and leading brexit voice boris johnson as the new foreign secretary.

johnson says he is humbled by the move. mayo firmly accepting the job of prime minister yesterday during a ceremony at buckingham palace with the queen. afterwards she made her first speech outside 10 downing street looking to calm concerns over great britain's exit from the european union. >> following the referendum we face a time of great national change. and i know because we're great britain that we will rise to the challenge. as we leave the european union, we will forge a bold new positive role for ourselves in the world. and we will make britain a country that works not for a privileged few but for every one of us. >> last night the sports world took a break from major competition to celebrate at the annual espy awards. wwe superstar john cena began with reminding viewers why he makes the perfect host on a night where sports meets entertainment. >> it's time to take a look at yourselves, sports, ask realize that you're more like the wwe

than you have ever imagined. but i will admit here's the one place that the wwe has you beat, the one thing we have that you don't. vince mcmahon. a maniacal billionaire pulling the strings behind the scenes who uses every trick in the book to manipulate things to his advantage any way he can. something like that, that is way too crazy for real sports. or maybe we have more in common than you think. >> oh, roger goodell. while the cleveland cavaliers cleaned up at last night's awards show receiving honors for best team and best moment with lebron james named best male athlete, best nba player, and receiving an espy for best championship performance, the first award of the night went to the man on the opposite side of that nba championship game, that being the warriors' steph curry, who won the award for best

record-breaking performance. and three of the best-ever in their sports shared the stage. peyton manning, abby wambach, and kobe bryant, each receiving icon awards. >> abby decided to retire after a compelling world cup victory. and peyton hung up his cleats after yet another super bowl win. for me, i tend to do things a little differently. so i felt an impressive 17 for 65 season will be a bold statement to wrap up my 20-year career. let get a check on weather now with nbc meteorologist steve soffine. >> heat and heat fueling thunderstorms. let me show you weather video we had from yesterday where we saw some tornados and some waterspouts. it was a wild go. and also some flooding. there's lancaster, pennsylvania, animals floating down the street. that is a lot of rain in a short amount of time. water rescues.

we'll be looking at the same today. spots of flash flooding and severe thunderstorms. and where it's not raining it's too darn hot. we're looking at this, heat advisories across texas where temperatures are aiming for the 100-degree mark. if you think you're going to escape it on the east coast you're not, temperatures in the 90s, feeling like 105 this afternoon in philadelphia. so you almost want a thunderstorm to cool off for a little while. we are looking at a lot of hot weather here in the northeast. so have your plan of action, whether it's the pool, having the air conditioning run, or just run to the mall here and cool off there. we're looking at highs at 95 in philly later today. 99 in richmond. not any better tomorrow. we're looking at the heat tomorrow. the humidity may be down just a bit. but i think over the weekend we'll back down on the heat just a little bit here. 90 in new york city on saturday. plan on a beach weekend up and down the east coast. water temperatures are in the 70s. so it will feel very nice to dip your toes in the surf. across the country if you want relief, go to minnesota. 70 today in minneapolis. that feels pretty darn nice.

85 in denver. meanwhile the southwest united states will be baking in triple-digit heat. i don't know, alex, a cannonball into a cold pool sounds pretty good with these temperatures. >> perfect actually, good call. still ahead, more from last night's espy awards. the show honoring the year's best athletes opened with a somber moment from some of the nba's biggest names. their powerful call for peace when "way too early" comes right back. real is making new friends. amazing is getting this close. real is an animal rescue. amazing is over twenty-seven thousand of them. there's only one place where real and amazing live. book a seaworld vacation package and eat free.

let's get a check now on the morning's other headlines to the control room and that guy, le s lewisburg dorff. >> the espys ar night of celebration, four of the biggest stars began with a message promoting change during a time of social turmoil. >> the events of the past week have put a spotlight on injustice, distrust, and anger that plague so many of us. the system is broken. the problems are not new. the violence is not new. and the racial divide definitely is not new. but the urgency to great change is at an all-time high. >> the endless gun violence in places like chicago, dallas, not to mention orlando, it has to stop. enough. enough is enough. >> let's use this moment as a call to action for all professional athletes to educate ourselves, explore these issues, speak up, use our influence, and

renounce all violence. we all have to do better. thank you. >> the intro garnered reaction from former president bill clinton who tweeted he was inspired by the words, as well as support from former u.s. attorney general eric holder who called them athletes who care and who are unafraid. president obama also delivered remarks in a video played during the presentation of the arthur ashe courage award. this year the award was presented posthumously to xavien dobson, who died in 2015 after shielding others from gunfire. >> zaevion gave his life saving others. what's our excuse for not acting? we have to ask ourselves, is this the world we want our kids to grow up in? are we just going to accept these tragedies as the price for our freedom and move on? it's up to all of us to build a country that's worthy of zaevion's promise.

that's what we owe him. that's what we owe all of our kids. >> very powerful message there. also last night, vice president joe biden was on hand to present the jimmy v. award for perseverance to legendary sportscaster craig sager, who's battling cancer. >> time is something that cannot be bought. it cannot be wagered with god. and it is not an endless supply. if i've learned anything through all of this, it's that each and every day is a canvas. so i will never give up. and i will never give in. i will continue to keep fight i ing, sucking the marrow out of life as life sucks the marrow out of me. i will live my life full of love and full of fun. it's the only way i know how.

thank you, and good night. >> oh my gosh, full of life and full of fun, don't you love that guy? just the way he carries himself. he's amazing. >> he's unbelievable. and i assure you, alex, there was not a dry eye in that room, a room full of athletes of the most physical men and women in the world. and they were brought to tears. he so is courageous. >> the headlines i was cracking up, though. biden jam returns to l.a. l.a. roads are already clogged enough. it was like, oh my god, the vice president's in town. >> that happens when the vice president comes into town, but i got one more story here for you. the senate confirmed a new leader for the nation's largest library yesterday. karla d. hayden is the first woman and the first african-american to oversee the library of congress. in a statement regarding her new position hayden wrote, i will be honored to build on the legacy and accomplishments must have predecessors in this position. to be a part of the continuing movement to open the treasure chest that is the library of

congress even further and to make it a place that can be found and used by everyone. congratulations to her. and some good stories this morning. powerful stories. >> are you done now? >> i'm finished. >> okay. i'm sad for that. we'll see you back here tomorrow. that does it for me on "way too early." coming up on "morning joe," the clash continues. donald trump is questioning supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg's fitness to serve after she criticized the republican presumptive nominee. more from bill eel neely's exclusive interview with president bashar al assad. what the president has to say about american air strikes. that and much more coming up next on "morning joe." using 60,000 points from my chase ink card i bought all the fruit... veggies... and herbs needed to create a pop-up pick-your-own juice bar in the middle of the city, so now everyone knows... we have some of the freshest juice in town.

see what the power of points can do for your business. learn more at chase.com/ink see what the power of points can do for your business. it's realizing beauty, doesn't stop at my chin. roc's formula adapts to delicate skin areas. my fine lines here, visibly reduced in 4 weeks. chest, neck and face cream from roc. methods, not miracles.

trust number one doctor recommended dulcolax constipated? use dulcolax tablets for gentle overnight relief suppositories for relief in minutes and stool softeners for comfortable relief of hard stools. dulcolax, designed for dependable relief

>> i suspect some time tomorrow that mike and i will both get phone calls and one of us will be packing our bags to go to new york and the other one will be going to watch it on it, v. >> yeah, that sounds like someone with confidence. >> that is the apprentice. >> that's someone who is confident. >> do you think it is going to be newt? >> i do.